1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of archery, specifically to the problem of releasing an arrow with the least possible interference to its intended flight path.
2. Prior Art
At the moment just before an archer releases an arrow from a bow, the rear end of the shaft of the arrow is supported in a stable position against the bowstring, and the front end of the arrow is supported in a stable position with relation to the bow. An arrow is in a stable position with relation to a bow when any slight displacement of the arrow from that position results in a force pushing the arrow back to that position. The front end support, often called an arrow rest, may be as simple as a notch cut in the riser, or handle, near the middle of a bow. It is evident that friction between an arrow shaft and an arrow rest, or contact between an arrow's fletches (stabilizing vanes or feathers) and a bow or an arrow rest, may cause the arrow to deviate from its intended path after it is released.
Many devices have been made to minimize such deviations. One class of such devices uses arrow rests formed from very light, flexible material that bends out of the way as the arrow passes. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,849, “Arrow Rest”, to Branthwaite et al.) Another class of such devices uses very low friction coatings, such as Teflon, on arrow rests to minimize friction against the shaft of the arrow as it passes. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,678, “Arrow Rest for Archery Bow”, to Savage.) A third class of such devices supports an arrow on high-friction prongs, which are held in position by a delicate balance of mechanical spring and magnetic forces. Immediately after release, the shaft of the arrow causes a slight drag on the high-friction prongs, which causes the balance of mechanical and magnetic forces to swing the prongs out of the way of the arrow for the remainder of its flight. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,174, “Arrow Rest”, Afshari, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,348, “Arrow West” [sic], to Savage.) A fourth class of devices uses a magnet to hold the front of an arrow containing ferromagnetic material in direct contact with the magnet. (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,286, “Archery Bow”, to Thacker.) All of the arrow rests in the prior art require some direct contact between a bow, or an apparatus affixed to the bow, and an arrow during the arrow's flight.